Cocaine, cartels, and crime in Ecuador | Unreported World

Unreported World spends two weeks with police who are outgunned and outnumbered on the new frontline of a bloody drug war in Ecuador. Rival drug cartels have taken over the once peaceful city of Guayaquil in a bid to control lucrative new drug routes to Europe and the United States. The South American country was until recently better known for tourism than for cocaine fuelled violence. But that’s all changing, turning daily life for many into a quest for survival. In 2021, more than 2400 people were killed in Ecuador as the country’s murder rate doubled. Sandwiched between the cocaine producing nations of Colombia and Peru, Ecuador's largest city has now become the new arena for rival Mexican drug cartels that control drug exports from the region. WARNING - this film contains some distressing scenes. Producer/Director: Thom Walker Series Producer: Andy Lee